She sings “I have nothing” but this incredible piece of theatre had everything....
To start with the theatre itself: This was my first visit to the Empire and I have to say they did not disappoint. The staff were all very courteous and could not do enough for you and coped extremely well with the thousands of people outside their door s, who were all there for the Hillsborough Commemoration Event taking place at St George's Hall across the road... This in itself was something to see... As we made our way into the theatre, the only thing of note, was that it was a tad dark and finding seats was not an easy thing to do... We did, however, like the fact that you could order from your seats by just waving a leaflet in the air – they took your order and delivered it straight to you... Novel idea (just take the crisps out of the equation please)...
Gangsta Granny is one of several of David Walliam’s very successful children’s books. The book was first published in 2011 and has gone on to a BBC made for TV film and is currently touring the UK as a live stage performance. The story centres around Ben (Ashley Cousins), an eleven year old boy who can think of nothing worse than spending a Friday night with his boring old Grandma (Gilly Tompkins) while his mum (Laura Girling) and Dad (Benedict Martin) go to their weekly ballroom dancing session. Ben, (Cousins) however, starts to find his Grandma (Tompkins) much more interesting when he learns of her alter ego. The ‘black cat’, international jewel thief.
As the play opened we were met with a naturalistic set complete with very detailed props designed by Geoff Gilder. Almost a snapshot of Mr and Mrs Wendice's life; the life of luxury. The acting style is quite unsettling to begin with as it is slightly heightened, however, after the first scene we adjust to it as it matches the time and location; the acting a kin to the style of the golden age of cinema.
In this first scene we see Sheila Wendice played by Terri Dwyer enter ready for a night at the theatre complete with sparkling jewels. Shelia is partnered with her ex – lover, Max Halliday portrayed by Marcus Hutton. She ended their affair a year ago and realised she has been quite happy with her husband since. Dwyer had the hardest job of the night portraying the damsel in distress without becoming tiresome and did this to a degree; I’m not sure this stereotypical character is much loved in the modern day, however, Dwyer suited the style well.
It is hard to believe that Blood Brothers was originally developed as a school play in Liverpool in 1981, before its writer Willy Russell transferred it to the West End for a short but successful run in 1983. The musical then went on to win the Olivier Award for Best New Musical and went on a year long national tour before returning to the West End for a revival in 1988 where it stayed at the Albery Theatre for three years, and later transferred to the Phoenix Theatre in 1991. It became the third longest running musical production in West End history. It finally closed in November 2012. However it is one of the very few musicals I have never seen before and one I know very little about. Unsure why this is, it was just never one I felt the urge to go and see but every person I know that has seen a production, be it in the West End, on tour or amateur production, have had nothing but positive feedback so I then became intrigued to see a production.
The Jukebox Musical arrived in Stoke last night with absolute style as the 1960’s were recreated on stage last night. The show is based around the music featured on the Save The Last Dance For Me CD brought by the company who bring us the Dreamboats and Petticoats CD series. The show opened with an overture featuring some of the most popular and recognisable songs in the show. Including A Teenager in Love which the audience were quite happily singing and clapping along to which really gave the show a very warm feeling from the get go. We were sent to Lowestoft in the rain for this holiday romance based show.
Tell Me On A Sunday arrives for one night only at the Palace Theatre in Manchester and welcomes the return of Jodie Prenger back to the Manchester stage. This is a one act performance written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Don Black, arguably one of the greatest collaborations in modern musical theatre. Tonight’s show was split into two acts, but more about that later.
The hit ITV show Heartbeat, based on the Constable series of novels by Nicholas Rhea arrested the attention of the Opera House, Manchester for the first of 6 nights. The show is set in the 1960's village of Aidensfield which is a fictional moorland village. The TV version of the show was filmed mainly in the scenic village of Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors near Whitby. Rhea was the pen name of Peter Walker a former country policeman. The TV show launched in 1992 and was an immediate success with an average audience of 14.5 and million viewers in the first season.
William Shakespeare has invaded our television screens, newspapers and social media more than usual lately and this is in testament to the 400th anniversary of his death. St Georges Hall celebrates the life of the Bard by hosting a Shakespeare season entitled ‘Where There’s a Will’ which features four of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays and opens with Macbeth, performed by Chalice Productions.Their adaptation of Macbeth has been described as a ‘diesel-punk inspired adaptation’ and I think this is a fairly apt description. With King Duncan and his court clad in leather jackets, Banquo brandishing a gun and Lady Macbeth modelling a pink satin night gown and rainbow print pyjama pants; it was unquestionably a very modern twist on a Renaissance play.
This was the long-awaited return of Scottish National Theatre's 2014 incredible tour-de-force telling the story of the first three King James' of Scotland. Eagerly anticipated and grateful for their return and my chance to see these plays, I spent a whole day at Salford's Lowry Theatre to experience the magic for myself.
Despite being three individual plays which could be viewed separately and do stand alone, they are inextricably linked in so many ways, not least that they were all written by the same playwright, Rona Munro, and were intended as a trilogy. The three plays tell the story of Scottish royalty between 1421 and 1488; and although many of the facts have been manipulated for dramatic effect, they still serve as a good 'Bluff Your Way In History' guide to the Scottish Medieval period.
I had no idea what to expect from this evenings’ performance - a four cast play entitled “Girls With Balls”. The poster gave little away other than a female football player and an advisory that the play is suitable for over 18’s only.* This intrigued me as it is very rare in the world of theatre that an age guidance is given, especially one rated an 18. I was interested to find out as much as I could beforehand to help quash the nerves I always get when heading into the unknown, especially when it comes to productions. I have a tendency to stick to what I know and love, and usually am rarely drawn to plays, preferring musicals and ballet with the occasional opera thrown in for good measure.
Nik and Eva Speakman rose to fame through helping people on This Morning as the daytime programmes resident therapists having a remarkable impact on people suffering from anything from PTSD to a fear of ice. This is their first tour and in it they are hoping to provide some of the tools to change the audiences’ life for the better and teach us how to be happy.
The system they use for therapy is called Schemas and over the course of the evening, the Speakmans talk us through six core Schemas which they feel will make the biggest impact.
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